Jinxiu Tianfu is the fourth and most luxurious product of the Panda Express family, built by China Railway Chengdu Group in partnership with Sichuan Tourism Investment Group. It is conceived as a "movable Eastern aesthetic palace" where Song dynasty aesthetic and Ba Shu heritage are woven into every carriage. The train runs in working service, not as a heritage piece, with multiple departures completed since its inaugural run on 19 May 2026.
China Expresses is an authorised travel curator and booking partner for the Panda Express family. We hold dedicated allocation on Jinxiu Tianfu, can issue tickets directly, and can extend the rail journey with a Chengdu pre-extension or a Kanas post-extension for inbound guests.
Last verified August 2026. Figures reflect the operator's published specifications, the 2026 in-season schedule and the 2027 forward season confirmed by Sichuan Tourism Investment Group's authorised sales channel.
The train takes its design language from two intertwined heritages. The Song dynasty gives the aesthetic restraint, the four arts, the tea ceremony, the calligraphic quiet. Ba Shu gives the materials, the craft, the embroidered brocade and the regional fire. The result is an original "Five Realms" composition that turns a working rail journey into an immersive cultural passage: JinTa and JinWo are the sleeping realms, JinYa, JinShi and JinJi are the public realms where the journey itself is staged.
The flagship. The most luxurious of the four, with the finest cabins and the Shu Brocade Song Rhyme design language. Curated by China Expresses.
The established premium train. 18 cars, 54 en-suite cabins. Curated by China Expresses.
Specialist tourist train, larger capacity, accessible price. View Anyi Express →
Entry tier of the family. Not in the curated luxury fleet; available on request.
The newest design: 66 guests, approx. 15 m2 cabins, two restaurant cars. First season 2027, so it sits outside the ranking above until dates and fares are confirmed. View Jinxiu Dongfang →
Deluxe Twin · 6 cabins, 13 m²
A 13 sqm sanctuary with twin beds that combine to a king, a Song-style silk-screen partition that creates a sitting zone, a sofa and tea table, a dried-wet separated bathroom, a minibar, a capsule coffee machine, and an in-room safe. Bvlgari bath amenities, TOTO smart toilet, Dyson hairdryer.
~13 m² · 6 of 46 cabinsQuality Twin · 40 cabins, 10 m²
A 10 sqm twin with a foldable single sofa, a dried-wet separated bathroom, a minibar, and a picture window that turns the landscape into a living scroll. Some cabins can convert to a king. Bvlgari bath amenities, Dyson hairdryer, TOTO smart toilet.
~10 m² · 40 of 46 cabinsDual guides, a dedicated train butler, and a 24-hour luggage porter on every sailing. An onboard medic travels with the group and keeps health files for senior guests.
Song-style tea ceremonies, Sichuan banquet, and Western Region cuisine. Panda motif desserts and a children's menu. Menus cycle across the journey.
Guzheng, bamboo weaving, silk road concerts, and a Tajik family visit on the Pamir high plateau. Craftspeople travel with the train.
Average daily coach time under four hours. Sightseeing in daylight, comfortable sleeper travel at night, fast-track entry at signature sites.
A working train of the Silk Road, dressed in Song dynasty robes. Not a museum, not a hotel, but a moving Eastern aesthetic palace.
The signature package is ZhenYu Yue Jiang Xing 臻遇·悦疆行, a North and South Xinjiang panorama of 13 or 16 days. The train departs Chengdu Anjing Station and threads Tianchi, Kanas, Hemu, Sayram Lake, Nalati, Kuqa, Kashgar, and Turpan in turn, with the Duku Highway crossing included on the peak summer sailings. Boarding is also possible at Lanzhou and Urumqi for guests arriving from elsewhere in China or already on the ground in Xinjiang.
Published by the operator. Twin-share per guest, in RMB, subject to confirmation at the time of enquiry. Limited remaining cabin availability on each sailing.
| Sailing | Length | JinTa Deluxe Twin (13 m²) | JinWo Quality Twin (10 m²) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 29 Aug 2026 | 16 days | RMB 98,880 ~ USD 13,740 |
RMB 78,880 ~ USD 10,960 |
| 15 Sep 2026 | 16 days | RMB 98,880 ~ USD 13,740 |
RMB 78,880 ~ USD 10,960 |
| 2 Oct 2026 | 16 days | RMB 98,880 ~ USD 13,740 |
RMB 78,880 ~ USD 10,960 |
| 20 Oct 2026 SHORTER 13-DAY | 13 days | RMB 62,880 ~ USD 8,740 |
RMB 49,880 ~ USD 6,930 |
The 20 October 2026 sailing is a 13-day shortened edition for guests who prefer a more compact schedule. All other 2026 sailings are 16 days. About 90% of the 2026 launch-season bookings came from inbound guests (Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Southeast Asia, Europe, North America, Japan, Korea), and the operator reports annual occupancy above 80%.
For 2027 the operator is publishing the season in two editions on the same physical train. The Tianshan Mu Ge edition (天山牧歌版) is the standard 16-day, with the bulk of the sailings. The Liujin Song Ge edition (鎏金颂歌版) is the peak-summer configuration, timed for late August and mid-September when the Duku Highway and the Pamir skies are at their best.
| Cabin & Fare Category | Tianshan Mu Ge (天山牧歌版) May 19 · Jun 5, 22 · Jul 9, 26 · Oct 2 · 6 sailings |
Liujin Song Ge (鎏金颂歌版) Aug 29 · Sep 15 · 2 sailings |
|---|---|---|
| JinTa · Deluxe Twin 锦榻 · 13 m² · 6 cabins | RMB 108,880 ~ USD 15,120 |
RMB 108,880 ~ USD 15,120 |
| JinWo · Quality Twin 锦卧 · 10 m² · 40 cabins | RMB 79,880 ~ USD 11,100 |
RMB 89,880 ~ USD 12,480 |
| 3rd guest in same cabin Adult landside. No berth. Must share bed or pay single supplement. |
RMB 39,880 ~ USD 5,540 |
RMB 39,880 ~ USD 5,540 |
| Child 12 or under No berth, no bed. Sharing with a full-paying adult. |
RMB 16,880 ~ USD 2,345 |
RMB 16,880 ~ USD 2,345 |
| Land single supplement For guests travelling solo who prefer a private room. |
RMB 8,000 ~ USD 1,110 |
RMB 8,000 ~ USD 1,110 |
Twin-share rates per guest, in RMB, published by Sichuan Tourism Investment Group authorised sales channel for the 2027 season. Conversions to USD are indicative at approximately RMB 7.2 and are rounded. Fares, departure dates, and cabin counts are subject to confirmation at the time of enquiry.
A new direction for the Shu Brocade Song Rhyme flagship. The 9-day southwest loop trades the Xinjiang panorama for Sichuan, Yunnan and the China-Vietnam border, framed as a "Return to Heart" journey of wilderness, heritage workshops and slowed-down time. Two editions (Return to Heart / Premium Habitat) span November 2026 to January 2027, with signature hotels and a higher single supplement on the Premium Habitat edition.
| Departure | Editions Available | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 5 November 2026 | Return to Heart · Premium Habitat | Open for booking |
| 28 November 2026 | Premium Habitat only | Open for booking |
| 6 January 2027 | Return to Heart · Premium Habitat | Open for booking |
| 16 January 2027 | Return to Heart · Premium Habitat | Open for booking |
| 24 January 2027 | Return to Heart only | Open for booking |
Twin-share per guest, in RMB, published by Sichuan Tourism Investment Group authorised sales channel. Single supplement applies when a guest prefers a private room. Each edition's daily itinerary is identical; the difference is the hotel tier and on-ground experience depth. Boarding is at Chengdu Anjing Station (成都安靖站). Confirm at enquiry which geographic variant (high-plateau with Shangri-La, or non-plateau with Lijiang and Dali) applies to the chosen sailing.
Two halves of Xinjiang. North of the range is landscape: Kanas, Hemu, the Ili valley and Sayram Lake. South is the Silk Road: Kuqa, the ancient kingdom of Kucha, and Kashgar, with the Pamir plateau beyond. A programme that covers both is the one worth the days. Two notes for overseas travellers: the Bayanbulak section of the Duku Highway is not open to foreign passports (Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan documents travel the full route), so those sectors run on a substitute routing for foreign-passport guests, and the Pamir sectors require an electronic border permit, arranged by your operator rather than by you. See the Xinjiang destination guide.
North & South Xinjiang · ZhenYu Yue Jiang Xing
The soft launch city. Pandas, Sichuan opera, world-famous cuisine. The ideal two-night pre-extension before boarding.
Tianchi's alpine lake, then Kanas's colour-changing waters and the Tuvan villages of Hemu. Northern Xinjiang at its most cinematic.
Sayram Lake's high-altitude blue, then the Nalati grasslands on horseback. The transition from north to south Xinjiang.
The Silk Road heart. Old Kashgar, the Id Kah mosque, the Pamir high plateau, then the Flaming Mountains and Jiaohe ruins in Turpan.
Southwest Journey · Winter 2026/27
Qionghai Lake, Jianchang Ancient Town and Yi culture. The first stop after Chengdu, where the journey trades the city for the plateau.
Naxi old towns beneath the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, with Dayan or Shuhe and Dongba heritage. Base of the non-plateau edition.
The high-plateau centrepiece: Pudacuo National Park, the “Little Potala” Songzanlin Monastery, Dukezong old town and Thangka painting at over 3,000 metres.
Cangshan and Erhai, the Three Pagodas, Bai villages. A scheduled stop on the published route map; itinerary details to be confirmed.
The overnight staging point between the Yunnan highlands and Tengchong, connecting the southbound leg of the loop.
Rehai hot springs, Gaoligong Mountain trails, the 800-year-old camellia-oil village and tea-horse heritage. The journey's most layered stop.
The return gateway and a published city on the route map; itinerary details to be confirmed, closing the loop back to Chengdu.
Photography: press images courtesy of China News Service (中新网) and Sichuan Tourism Investment Group (四川旅投集团), published via Baijiahao and the operator's 2027 sales channel. To be replaced by operator-supplied official imagery upon release.
China Expresses is an authorised travel curator and booking partner for the Panda Express family. We hold dedicated allocation on Jinxiu Tianfu, can issue tickets directly, and can extend the rail journey with a two-night Chengdu pre-extension or a Kanas post-extension. We also design fully tailor-made Sichuan plus Xinjiang itineraries around any sailing, with private guides and the option to charter a car alongside the train.
In China, the train is also bookable through the 12306 App (Rail Travel section), the operator's authorised hotline 400-988-3721 (8:30 to 22:30 daily), and the operator's authorised travel agencies. For partnership and trade enquiries, the operator's direct address is [email protected]. For our international clientele, the simplest path is to enquire with us. We will confirm the next available departure, your cabin category, and the tailor-made extensions, then handle the booking end to end.
A Moving Gallery of Song Aesthetics gathers first-departure reviews: the Song-rhyme design, the open kitchen car, the craft workshops, and what guests would change.
Read the traveler story →Jinxiu Tianfu is the flagship of our Panda to the Frontier journey, from Sichuan panda country to the vast Xinjiang frontier.
Explore the Xinjiang Grand Circuit →
